Leyton Orient are missing the leadership of Jobi McAnuff out on the pitch insists coach Ross Embleton.

The 37-year-old player-coach has not featured in League Two yet this season after having to go for surgery following an injury at the tail end of last season.

The former Reading captain led the O's to a National League title last term and an FA Trophy where they eventually lost to AFC Fylde.

And although Embleton loves having his advice in the dug-out he knows McAnuff's character could be beneficial out on the pitch.

"I love having him standing next to me and his input has been fantastic but we miss that sort of character out there at the moment," said Embleton.

"There are a number of players that have performed admirably. I think there's some real positives that have come out of our performance.

You may also want to watch:

"Like I said, it's not good enough that we haven't got a point and certainly not won the game, but I think some of those big moments can be managed by having more big characters like Jobi out on the pitch and certainly we do miss him."

Disappointingly though, there is still no clear idea of when McAnuff could return, although Embleton insists he is being pushed all the way to get back as soon as possible.

"How long it's going to take is, again, so frustrating, because we don't quite know. We have to keep pushing Jobi to see how far he can get before he's ready to step back in," he added.

Much like McAnuff experienced defender Jamie Turley has also not featured after an operation and the O's have missed his experience and knowledge of playing in the Football League.

"'Turls' is very similar to Jobi, it's push to see how far we can get him, he's another mature man, who can play at this level and understands what it takes to manage games," said Embleton.

"We miss those personalities, but unfortunately we haven't got them, so we can't hang onto that too much.

"I have to work with what we've got and I have to make sure those players continue to develop and as a team we stop making the mistakes that we're making."

If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Newham Recorder. Click the link in the yellow box below for details.

This newspaper has been a central part of community life for many years, through good times and bad, serving as your advocate and trusted source of local information. Our industry is facing testing times, which is why I’m asking for your support. Every single contribution will help us continue to produce award-winning local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.